(October 24, 1934—August 29, 2016)
James “Jim” Clark Terrell Jr., M.D. passed away on August 29, 2016 while surrounded by his adoring family. Visitation will be at the Stephenville Funeral Home from 6 – 8 PM on Wednesday, August 31st, with funeral services at 2 PM, Thursday, September 1st at the First United Methodist Church in Stephenville.
Jim was born on October 24, 1934 to Ellen Wesson (Willard) Terrell, R.N. and James Clark Terrell, M.D. in Stephenville, Texas. Highlights of his growing up years include scouting, playing football, working at the family ranch, and hunting and fishing with his aunt, Dora Lee Willard. Jim married Barbara Deane Davis on August 3, 1957. Barbara and Jim helped each of their siblings and both sets of their parents celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversaries, and for their own fiftieth anniversary, Barbara and Jim surprised their family by renewing their vows.
Jim and Barbara met as undergraduates at the University of Texas at Austin, where Jim received many honors, culminating in initiation into the Friar Society. He began his medical training at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He interned at Denver General Hospital in Denver, Colorado, and continued 10 his residency in general surgery at Parkland Hospital with UT Southwestern. In 1965, Jim returned to Stephenville to practice surgery with his father, who had founded the Stephenville Hospital in 1926 with Ellen Terrell.
Jim cared very much for his fellow man and the world. He was committed to providing quality medical care to his community, and for thirty-five years he delivered personalized attention to his patients night and day. He also served his hometown and the region through his volunteerism. He sat on numerous boards including that of his church, Stephenville Independent School District, Scout councils, banks, hospitals and clinics, and community service organizations.
Jim was a gentle, quiet and kind man with an adventurous spirit. His parents instilled a love of travel in him at an early age, and he, in turn, passed this love on to his children and grandchildren. He celebrated his 75th birthday from the top of Machu Picchu, Peru, fulfilling a life-long dream. He enjoyed exploring new places, including: the Strait of Magellan in Chile; Angel Falls, Venezuela (by dugout canoe); Marrakesh, Morocco; Tuscany, Italy; and Istanbul, Turkey. An avid sailor, he plied the wind and the waters of Proctor and other Texas lakes, the Mediterranean and the Pacific. He was a licensed pilot for many years, and appreciated a bird’s eye view of gorgeous landscapes from Texas to the Grand Canyon to Alaska.
He is survived by his wife and their four children: Alisa Terrell Starbird, Stephenville; James Clark Terrell III and Miryam Arosemena, Austin; Randall Dean Terrell and Christine, San Marcos; and Julie Terrell Hinds and Jack, Glen Rose. He is also survived by seven grandsons: Ryan Starbird and Lauren, Dallas; Greg Starbird, Houston; Joseph Oliver and Brianna Stroup, Lubbock; David Oliver and Whitleigh, Walnut Springs; Dean Terrell and Courtney, Pearland; Doran Terrell and Fletcher Terrell, San Marcos. He and Barbara recently welcomed their first great grandchild, also a boy, Reed Terrell Oliver of Walnut Springs. Nieces Beverlee Nix of Weir and Elizabeth Davis Miller and husband, Scott, of Fort Worth, nephew Kendall Nix, and wife Cindy, of Fort Worth, sister in law Beryl Davis of Fort Worth, and first cousins Penny Elliott and Frank Terrell, and wife Kathy, of Stephenville also survive him.
He was preceded in death by his parents and Barbara’s parents, and his sister, Barbara Lee (Terrell) Nix and her husband, Bill Nix, his brother in law, Jerry Donald Davis and his special aunt, Dora Lee Willard.
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